Guardian Writer Dave Hill On Politics, People & Goings On

July 07, 2008

Ray Lewis: More To Come?

"While George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, was saying the allegations would be 'fully investigated', Guto Harri, Johnson's spokesman, said a decision to abandon the inquiry - due to start tomorrow under Martin Narey, a former director-general of the Prison Service - had been taken over the weekend. 'He is no longer a deputy mayor so it would not be appropriate to spend taxpayers' money on a lengthy inquiry into his position.'

The church had been planning to present the new information, together with its file of previous allegations of financial impropriety and sexual misconduct, to Narey. Chris Newland, chaplain to the Bishop of Chelmsford, John Gladwin, said: 'We regret that the inquiry has been dropped. There is more to come. When the story made news last week other people came forward. We shall have to consider to whom we should send our file.'"

This is why Lewis may continue to be a problem for the Tories nationally. Ironically, Mayor Johnson might be in a better position to put the affair behind him than "my mate Dave" is. A new, fireproof and less hubristic deputy for young people wouldn't hurt.